Genesis 1 :1-3    (DARBY) 

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

And the earth was waste and empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

And God said, Let there be light. And there was light.

“Love is a fruit in season at all times, and
within the reach of every hand.”
Mother Teresa

God desires that we ask of Him that which we need. Today we will meditate on how valuable it is to have God’s wisdom.   It is rich and full as it unfolds to us the direction of what to do in troubling situations.  All we have to do is ask.

James 1:5  (AMP)
“If any of you is deficient in wisdom,

let him ask of the giving God [Who gives]

to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without

reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.”

I praise God that He so willingly opens His gracious hand and touches my heart and mind with the direction that I need.  I love this translation and how it says “If any of you is deficient in wisdom…”  I can remember a time when I ran out of a particular vitamin that I know was important for me.   Time did not permit me to get to the health food store to purchase more.  After about two weeks of being without them, I could feel that there was a deficiency going on in my body.

There are times we may get along for so long doing things out of our own ability, but the time will come that we will recognize that there is a deficiency of  God’s wisdom, and we are lacking as a result of it. It is in those times that He simply says, “Ask!!”  He will not fault find but instead He will liberally give us all the wisdom we need. 

His wisdom is more precious and valuable than we will ever know.  I leave you with this scripture from Job that beautifully speaks of the value of God’s wisdom.

Job 28:13-18
 “Job: No human perceives wisdom’s true value,
nor has she been found in the land of the living.
The deep says, “She is not to be seen within me.”
“Nor within me,” says the voice of the raging sea.
 No gold can be given in trade for wisdom,
nor a sum of silver weighed out as her price.
 She cannot be bought with all the gold of Ophir,
neither with onyx nor sapphire.
The shimmer of gold and brightness of glass cannot compare,
and no refined gold jewelry is worth her in trade.
Perish the mention of coral and crystal;
even more than pearls is the value of wisdom.”

 Devotional for Thursday, August 18, 2016

“Living, Loving, and Releasing” 

When we realize that God has a plan for us and all those that we love, we can rest and enjoy our lives as He intended. It is so awesome to know that God has a special and unique plan for each of us. He is not finished until we take our last breath either. Yes, life has it’s pain that we all have to walk through, yet He has promised to be there and keep us strong if we trust in Him. Let us think about how we can love, grow and continue to release in this life. God is ever preparing us for growth and new chapters.

Philippians 1:6 (TLB)
“And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will

keep right on helping you grow in his grace until his task within

you is finally finished on that day when Jesus Christ returns.”

Devotional for Wednesday, August 17, 2016“He Washed Us and Made Us Pure”

by Dona Hake

There is much torment in feeling guilty.  It kind of feels like a prison because you are no longer clean and pure on the inside.  Memories and thoughts of the wrong you may have done seem to have voices, and they continue to haunt and remind you of what you think is irreparable.  If you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, you can partake of His wonderful forgiveness.  Let us treasure within us how wonderful it is that the Lord will forgive us when we mess up and He will always cleanse our hearts.  As we humble ourselves to Him admitting our wrongs and shortcomings, He is desiring so much to bring us back to that place of feeling clean again.  Our Lord is all about restoration!    What a glorious gift we have to partake of as believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us look at David in the Psalms.   His plea to God was for restoration of his heart in a time in which he majorly messed up, and  his heart was heavy with guilt and anguish.

Psalm 51:7, 8, 10

“Remove my sin and make me pure.” 
    Wash me until I am whiter than snow!
Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.
    God, create a pure heart in me,
    and make my spirit strong again.”

Today let us treasure the power of forgiveness from the One who is able to cleanse.  I love how verse eight says “Let me hear sounds of joy and happiness again.”   This is what restoration  is about.  When we experience freedom from guilt we are able to experience the joy that was robbed by our sin and guilt.  Only God is able to create within us a pure heart, pick us back up, and cause us to continue on in His will.  Thank God for the power of forgiveness!

by Dona Hake

My oldest Granddaughter used to love to play hide and seek in our backyard.   She would call our yard “the forest” because of all the trees, and hiding places.   She would pretend that she was hiding from the “dragon” which was my German Shepherd Aasha.   There were a few times that she found some pretty clever spots and I was unable to find her.    I would say loudly enough so Rissa could hear me, “Oh my Aasha, I cannot find Rissa, can you help me find her?   It never ceased to amaze me the keen senses that my German Shepherd has (aka…”the dragon”)    So  she would seek diligently, her nose was totally tuned in to my Granddaughter’s scent, and in not time at all, she would find her in the most clever  hiding places.      Needless to say there was frustration on my Granddaughter’s part at times because there was no hiding place too clever for my German Shepherd!  

Proverbs 8:17-18  ERV)

Today I encourage you to look for His wisdom in the small things as well as the big.   He loves when you seek out what He has for you.

nothing you desire compares with her.”

Proverbs 3:18

“Wisdom is like a life-giving tree to those who hold on to her; she is a blessing to those who keep her close.”

by Dona Hake

“Rest in God alone, my soul, for my hope comes from Him,”
Psalm 62:5 HCSB

by Dona Hake

We all need to be reminded of things.  Sometimes even the most important things can be forgotten.  We get too busy, our minds are full, and we just forget.  Today I want to remind you to keep looking up.  This is something you have to do and no one else can do it for you.  I want to share several scriptures to cause your eyes to stop focusing on that which is not important and focus on Him.

 Psalm 143:8

Psalm 121:1-3
Amplified Bible (AMP)

I want you to take note that in all of these scriptures “I Will” proceeds the lifting up of our inner self, our hands, and our eyes.  You see, it is an act of our will to look up and lift up.  He promises that as we make a decision to look away from all that is trying to hold us back and hold us down that He WILL lift us up!!